United States Tenth Circuit

In the second-stage of a trial for murder, defense counsel's unsuccessful strategy of offering testimony that defendant sexually abused his sisters in order to show defendant's progression from a terrible person to a "model" prisoner, was not "completely unreasonable," and is therefore not constitutionally ineffective counsel.

Appellate Information

• Decided 01/25/2002
• Published 01/25/2002

Judges

• SEYMOUR, Circuit Judge., Before SEYMOUR, LUCERO, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Tenth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Gloyd L. McCoy of Coyle, McCoy & Burton (Robert A. Nance of Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis, with him on the brief), Oklahoma City, OK, for Petitioner-Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Seth S. Branham, Assistant Attorney General (W.A. Drew Edmondson, Attorney General of Oklahoma, with him on the brief), Oklahoma City, OK, for Respondent-Appellee.